Mabon

Ok, so I have been thinking a lot about what I am going to do this year for Mabon. I may be going to a public ritual this Saturday, if I can get my son's father to look after him for a little bit while I go do this. I usually don't do the whole public ritual thing, as I usually practice solitary, but I think it would be interesting to see how others celebrate the harvest (this is the 2nd harvest celebration on the Wheel). I was at the location the other night, a bit breezy with wind coming off the water, hoping my new robe I made won't get lit up ☺

I have also been invited to a little ritual on the day of the actual Sabbat, next Thursday, with a few friends. Not sure if I can make it. I would like to go, but I still have my son with me. It also is a full moon that evening and I have some things I need to do, that I usually do solitary when I combine Sabbat rites with Esbats. Just a little dilemma for me. Don't get me wrong, I love being with friends, but I am a little self-conscious about how I do my thing. I know, get over it, right?? This is something I am trying to do. Under my skin is still a shy person lurking.

New Moon / Dark Moon...What's the Difference??

Ok, so I came along something that made sense to me. I found a book that was explaining the difference about doing magic during the Dark Moon, as opposed to New Moon magic. Most of us have read or have been taught that if you want to do banishing, releasing type of workings that the New Moon is best for this, right?? I know I have seen this in books & was told. But, wouldn't it make sense to do these types of spell workings during a phase of the moon that is not about beginnings?? When the moon is New, it is showing 1% of a sliver in the sky before it starts to grow (waxes) into the fullness of the Full Moon. I know a lot out there don't like doing magic during a Dark Moon, which is when it is completely void in the night sky. They have been taught that those types of workings are considered 'dark', 'evil' 'ominous' or that is something witches don't do. Even most calendars do not show when there is a Dark Moon, or they call it New Moon. Look at the above picture...see a space for the Dark Moon?? No, neither do I.

Let's look at banishing types spells. What exactly are they?? Are they meant to harm another?? Actually, they can be about what you want them to be. You want to lose a little weight, quit smoking, drop a bad habit?? These are things that maybe considered to be negative, depending on the one doing the magic of the Dark Moon. Cutting ties with someone you no longer want to associate with, an ex lover, perhaps?? Dark Moon is best to do that. This is when the wisdom of the Crone will assist you. I know a lot of fellow Pagans who have been doing banishing-type workings during the New Moon & wondering why they didn't have the results they were hoping for. First up, it was during the New Moon when the moon is starting it's journey (cycle), why would you do a working during a phase of the moon that's about beginnings (hence its name as New) when you want an ending?? Yes, I also know that the moon also wanes down at the end of the cycle to 1% in the night sky, but it is still not dark enough to get the results you were looking for. Doing a working in this particular phase is good, if you only want half-assed results. Also, it seems to be considered taboo to cast your circle widdershins (anti-clockwise), but why not, when you are doing a Dark Moon working?? Aren't you trying to rid yourself of something undesirable?? In a way, to go back & reverse something that you no longer want to have in your life. Too many schools of thought, Hollywood, Pagans who think there is no such thing as Dark Magic (Fluffies, as they are known) have all put a shadow (no pun intended) on doing magic during a Dark Moon phase. That is why there are a lot of workings going on during the New Moon. Want to know when a Dark Moon is?? It usually occurs about 12-14 days after the Full Moon, just before the New Moon appears in the night sky.

I have experienced Dark Moon magic myself. I have cast my circles and have let go of things I needed to let go. Shocking, huh?? A lot of people out there have considered me to be a little on the Fluffy side, is it because I have a pink grimoire, that I like sparkly things?? That's just superficial, it's what's on the inside. I have done workings during the New Moon & got the half-assed results, done the workings on the Dark Moon & got the results I wanted. There is nothing bad about Dark Moon magic, the moon is at another powerful phase for magic, the other would be it's opposite phase, Full. As I always tell my friends, you need a little dark to balance the light.

Blessings.
Rowan

An Update

Well, I'm hoping that the employment drought will soon be over. I have a job interview this Tuesday for a salon that's opening up a new shop. I saw their ad on Kijiji last Monday & quickly emailed off my CV. They called me this afternoon & set up an interview for this Tuesday. Yay!!

There was an Imbolg ritual this evening. I didn't go to that, but I am planning on doing my own, privately at home. It's also the Full Moon, I am going to do my ritual tonight after I post this. I'm going to ask the Goddess to guide me with my job interview. I wrote down what I want for this job, from salary expectations, to flexibility with my schedule with my son. Hopefully, the Great Mother will see that I will no longer be jobless. It's only been 2 months, but that's 2 months too long in my books.

I was busy this week doing hair out of my home. I have a couple of friends who came by this week to get their hair cut & flat-ironed. On Lisa's hair, I flat-ironed hers first, as she has very curly hair and then proceeded to give her a trim & put some shape back into her hair. Karen came the next day for a whole new look. She had a basic, all one length bob, to her shoulders. It wasn't really doing anything to her face, but over-power it. I gave her an inverted bob (A frame, asymmetrical bob, etc). I took off about 4-5" off the back, cutting at her hairline at the nape and gradually tapering longer towards the front. I also snuck in some subtle layers to take off some heaviness off her hair on the sides. Now, Karen normally doesn't wear a bang, but a gave her a long side-swept bang that she can tuck behind her ear. Now, stupid me, forgot to take before & after pix of both haircuts. They turned out bomb!! It was a great boost to my ego the reactions I got from both ladies. My former boss thought I should get out of hairdressing, saying I was terrible at it. I just didn't live up to his standards, I guess, but it was enough for me to doubt myself.

I also joined a group on my YoVille game. You can join clubs with like-minded individuals. This one is called, "The Goddess Sanctuary" We are a group of about 7 Witches/Pagans who get together and discuss various topics. Last night's was about grounding & meditation. We all buddy up so we can get together easily. I guess I have inspired some ladies of the group with my virtual ritual room I made in my apt there. It's an indoor garden with a waterfall. I'm glad to see others making ponds, stone circles, etc, as their own way of communing with the Goddess online. I guess this is my way of planting things, in an online garden, nothing dies on me...Lol!!

Anyway, I see that the Moon is in view now, so I shall commune with Lady Luna. May the Goddess bless you tonight with the power of the Moon

Love & Light
Rowan
)O(

Blue Moon Lore

As we all know, this Thursday, as being New Year's Eve, is also hosting another event: a Blue Moon. We all know that a Blue Moon is when a 2nd full moon occurs in the same month, but what about the term, "once in a Blue Moon"?? I found a great article over at Suite101.com, that explains some of the lore of this phenomenon.

According to folklore, the term "blue moon" has been around for at least 400 years. The earliest known reference to this lunar event referred to an unlikely occurrence or something that could never happen. Over time the expression has evolved to mean something that rarely, if ever happens, thus the expression "once in a blue moon" became common place.

What is a Blue Moon?

Contrary to the name there is no physical difference in appearance during this lunar occurrence, the moon does not actually appear to be blue. According to most sources, a blue moon occurs when there is a second full moon in the same calendar month. But there are a few sources out there who claim that originally the name blue moon was given to the third full moon in a season where there were four full moons. A blue moons cycle is approximately once every two and a half years.

This lunar event occurs because a complete lunar cycle, the time between the new moon and a full moon, is 29.5 days. Since each calendar month is a little longer than the moons full phase, the full moon occurs little earlier than than the previous month. Approximately every two and a half years, there is a month with two full moons. The second full moon is called the blue moon.

Once in a Blue Moon

The origin of the term "blue moon" is not truly known but is steeped in folklore and its meaning has changed several times. Historically, each full moon throughout the year was given a folk name to help people remember to prepare for the upcoming season.

For example, the name harvest moon was given to the full moon that occurred closest to the autumn equinox. This usually occurred at the peak of harvest and the light of the full moon allowing farmers to work late into the night. This also signaled the time to gather the season’s harvest and to prepare for the upcoming winter.

Many folktales place significance on the blue moon. According to some folktales during a full blue moon, the moon was said to have a face and talked to those in its light. Some pagan beliefs hold the second full moon in a calendar month holds the knowledge of the Goddess and contains very powerful three-fold the energy of a regular full moon. Special rites and rituals were held only on a blue moon night.

Sill other traditions believe the different moon phases represent the transition of knowledge within the Goddess. The maiden is represented by the quarter moon, the new moon represents the mother goddess and the full moon the grandmother goddess or crone. When the blue moon enters a cycle it is said to be the transition of the crone to the divine level of existence or the great transition.

When is the Next Blue Moon?

The next blue moon will be visible on December 31, 2009 – New Year’s Eve. The next time this beautiful celestial event will occur is in the year 2012.

Very rarely there will be a year of two blue moons. Due to February being a short month, this event usually occurs during the months of January and March. The last time there was a year with two full moons was back in 1999. This rarity is not scheduled to happen again until the year 2018. The following dates are when the next blue moons are scheduled to occur.

• 2009: December 31 (Blue Moon on New Year's Eve)
• 2012: August 31
• 2015: July 31
• 2018: January 31 March 31(Two Blue Moons in One Year)
• 2020: October 31

Astrology and the Full Moon

Astrologically the energy of the full moon works to integrate and harmonize the contradictions in the self and others. During a full moon, the seeds sown at the last new moon are ready to be harvested and utilized. Traditionally, the full moon is seen as a time for meditation and particularly for personal issues and global concerns.

During the blue moon this vibration is said to be three-fold. In some cultures the second full moon was considered a very holy and auspicious day. A time when the veil between heaven and earth is thin and the ability to communicate with the gods and goddess is very powerful. It is considered a very spiritually significant time for prayer and meditation going back thousands of years.

Last Night's Full Moon

Here are some pix of the full moon last night that I took off my patio. I kinda like the blurriness, it adds mystery to the pix. Enjoy!!

)O(
Rowan

Full Moon Blessings

The Mourning Moon

November was the ninth month in the oldest Roman calendar. In the Celtic tradition this was the beginning of a new year. The Celtic year ended on the eve before Samhain and began again on the day after. They considered it a Moon month of beginnings and endings and many still do.

The goddess Hecate had many celebrations though out the year. November 16 was known as the Night of Hecate, the Three -formed. Hecate is part of the most ancient form of the triple Moon goddess as Crone or Dark Moon: Artemis was the Crescent Moon and Selene the Full moon. Most of Hecate's worship, and especially on this night, was performed in a three way crossroad at night. Food was left there as an offering to her. She was known to rule the passages of life and transformation, birth and death. Her animals were the toad, the owl, the dog and the bat.

Correspondences

Moon Names: Snow Moon, Dark Moon, Fog Moon, Beaver Moon, Mourning Moon, Blotmonath (Sacrifice Month), Herbistmonoth (Harvest Month), Mad Moon, Moon of Storms, Moon When Deer Shed Antlers.

Nature Spirits: subterranean faeries

Herbs: grains of paradise, verbena, betony, borage, cinquefoil, blessed thistle

Colours: gray, sea-green

Flowers: blooming cacti, chrysanthemum

Scents: cedar, cherry blossoms, hyacinth, narcissus, peppermint, lemon

Stones: topaz, hyacinth, lapis lazuli

Trees: alder, cypress

Animals: unicorn, scorpion, crocodile, jackal

Birds: owl, goose, sparrow

Deities: Kali, Black Isis, Nicnevin, Hecate, Bast Osiris, Sarasvati, Lakshme, Skadi, Mawu

Power Flow: Take root, prepare. Transformation. Strengthen communication with the god or goddess who seems closest to you.

According to the Old Farmers' Almanac, the full moon in November is the Full Beaver Moon. This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.

October's Full Moon

Full Moon energy is used for banishing, protection and divination. It is a time for maximum power. The Hunter’s Moon is the first full moon after the harvest moon, which is the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox. The cold weather returns. Herds are culled for winter slaughter.

Candle colour for this moon is deep red, symbolic of the colour of shed blood from the herds, and of the game. It is a time for Inner cleansing, justice, balance, and inner harmony.

In the northern hemisphere, the Hunter’s Moon appears in October or November, usually in October. Traditionally, it was a feast day in parts of western Europe and among some Native American tribes, called simply the Feast of the Hunter’s Moon.

“As it was and remains today,
Death feeds life,
And life honours death.
Come to me my prey!
I will give you a good death,
And praise you With my breath.”

The Hunter’s Moon is also known as the Blood or Sanguine Moon as traditionally this was around the time that surplus livestock would be slaughtered before the onset of Winter. As life grows so shall it wither, and this manifestation of the moon should be reflected in any ritual. Without closure we cannot begin a cycle anew as nature dictates. Use the balancing energy of the Blood Moon to even out extremes in your life, and to make preparations for hard times.

My Weird Dream From the Full Moon

This is my dream I had early this morning after I fell back to sleep. I wrote it in my dream journal as soon as I woke up.

In my dream, I was walking with Mark on a sunny afternoon next to a lake in the city (this lake has been in other dreams, too). The sidewalk was on the right side of the lake as we walked in a eastward direction (the sun was at our backs). It was a nice walk, Mark was being his usual inquisitive self. We came upon a non-descript beige house. There was nothing fancy about it except its front steps. There were 6 steps leading up to a landing & 6 steps down the other side, like a pyramid. In front of the steps, there was a stone walkway shaped like a C. I noticed some Pagan-type house decorations near the house. I took Mark & we went up to the front door. We were greeted by a woman who has light brown hair, either pulled back or short, who was about my age. I told her I liked her house decorations. She smiled & showed me what else she had. Mark went outside to play.

She did introduce herself to me, but I can't remember her name. I said that she reminded me of a girl I knew in school back in Truro. She said she was from Truro, too, but I didn't know her. Her house was full of mystical things: books, artwork, jewellry she made. We sat down at a huge round wooden table with a floral centerpiece. There was a slightly older couple sitting waiting for me. The woman was in her mid-forties with shoulder length blonde hair, dressed in a simple dress with little pastel flowers on it. The man seated next to her had dark hair thinning on top, dressed in a light blue crew neck sweater, they all looked very suburban.

We talked around the table, drinking tea. The man smiled & listened mostly. The brunette woman sat to my right, the blonde across from me & the man to my left. The brunette took my hand & told me that I come from a very magical line of people. It skipped a generation or 2, but I am definitely one, as well as Mark. The the blonde said something strange. She told me that my family knows about me being a witch (still in the closet, btw), that my older brother told them his suspicions. **NOTE: I was asked by my father back in the early spring when my brother started saying stuff about me. My "friend" told me that her 2 Elders of the Craft told her my mom went snooping in my stuff when she came for a visit shortly after, this was when I had to pick Mark up from school & left her alone in my apt. I had moved my stuff to another hiding spot before she came, not where these 2 "Elders" said she snooped.**

They also said something about a mark on my right eye, something like a magical mark (???). I didn't understand that, but then I woke up when I felt Mark crawling into bed with me, so I couldn't ask them what they meant. I don't know who these people were, if they are my spirit guides, Deities, or what. Any thoughts??

The Full Corn Moon

Like the fruits of the vine, lives too can change & ferment. As you gather the late fruit harvest of your labour, give thanks for the sweetness of life. From such sweetness comes pleasure & treats, but also fermentation and "spirits". Celebrate the ever-changing nature of life, dreams,& goals as you toast the sacred ingredients-friends, family & familiars-their loving friendships that mellow & ferment you. Honour Dionysus god of wine & ecstasy. Invoke the balance of the light & dark, and evaluate the balance within your life. As you prepare for the growing darkness, readying yourself to move within, clean & declutter yourself physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually. Balance will bring you steady footing throughout the challenging journey ahead.

**Borrowed form Llewellyn's Witches' Datebook 2009**

Honey Cake recipe for the Esbat

I found this on this site: http://everything2.com/title/Welsh+honey+cakes I'm going to make them tomorrow when I get home from work.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• sugar
• a little milk

Directions:

Sieve together the flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Cream the butter and sugar in another bowl. Separate the egg and add the yolk to the butter/sugar mix (reserving the white). Add the honey gradually and mix thoroughly, then mix in the flour mixture with a little bit of milk so that the batter is stirrable but thick. Whisk the egg white into a stiff froth and fold it into the batter. Half fill muffin tins with the mix. Sprinkle a little sugar on the tops. Bake at 425º F for 12-15 minutes, longer if needed to be cooked through.

Yield: 12 muffin-like cakes

The Wind Moon

"Hare moon, Seed moon, Moon of Budding trees,
Let fertile magic sprout within me
Kali, Hathor, Ishtar, Bast,
This abundant, creative cycle now be cast."

Fertile Full Moon of April, we welcome your magical might and for you we fill home, garden and heart with color and light. Plant seeds in the readied soil and soul, knowing they will sprout. Vow to nourish these seeds with tender care, for what you plant now will grow through the fertile cycle and bear the fruits of harvest. Nourish your dreams that they may grow strong and healthy, creating and producing the magical life you have envisioned. Decorate sacred spaces with symbols of fertility and joy-eggs, rabbits, seeds and sweets-to draw spiritual success and succulence to tender seedlings. And dance with joy, anticipating the coming warmth. Darkness wanes as light waxes bright in Full Moon light.

--Borrowed from Llewelyn's Witches' Datebook 2009